The second day of the Festival opens with a wide range of themes, exploring poetry, intimate narratives, and reflections on the meaning of travel and memory. In the morning, with the Poets at Incroci series, five international poets, accompanied by their translators, give voice to diverse linguistic and cultural experiences, creating a bridge between words, rhythms, and different sounds.
In the afternoon, attention shifts to Manuel Vilas, one of the most prominent contemporary Spanish writers, who explores the theme of love and its existential nuances. This is followed by a special meeting dedicated to the Premio Campiello, featuring Esther Kinsky and Federica Manzon, who discuss the role of literature in exploring and narrating human experiences on the margins of the world.
The evening offers two events: on one side, the Touring Club Italiano with Franco Farinelli launches its new project Mappe, a quarterly magazine that tells stories of landscapes and cultures through various languages; on the other side, a dialogue with young writer Fatin Abbas and author Elgas, reflecting on identity, freedom, and the burden of colonial history in their writings. Abbas, a creative writing professor at MIT and author of the novel Ghost Season, delves into the traumas of the civil war in Sudan, while Senegalese novelist and essayist Elgas, with his reflection on colonial subjugation, analyzes how African voices can free themselves from centuries-old constraints.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
9.30 AM | Auditorium Santa Margherita – Emanuele Severino
Poets at Incroci: The Free Word
Poetry readings in the original language
Rodolfo Häsler (Cuba)
José María Micó (Spain)
Nouri Al-Jarrah (Syria)
Followed by:
Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia)
Alan Whitehorn (Canada – Armenia)
3.00 PM | Auditorium Santa Margherita – Emanuele Severino
Books to Love
Manuel Vilas (Spain)
in conversation with Adrian Sáez
5.00 PM | Auditorium Santa Margherita – Emanuele Severino
Narrating Borders
Esther Kinsky (Germany) and Federica Manzon (Italy)
in conversation with Cristina Fossaluzza
7.00 PM | Hotel Aquarius Venice
Cultural Geography: Presentation of “Mappe” – Touring Club Italiano
Franco Farinelli (Italy)
Introduction by Ottavio Di Brizzi
7.30 PM | Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Plural Africa
Fatin Abbas (Sudan – United States) and Elgas (France – Senegal)
in conversation with Lucio De Capitani
